Searching for criminal background records is a very broad topic. There are many different types of searches that can be conducted and many different reasons for conducting each search. In my years of working as a Private Investigator I have learned quite a bit about the world of background checks. In this hub I will explore a few easy and cost effective methods that may help you locate the information your are looking for.

All branches of the judicial system are responsible for keeping very detailed records and documents. This can be a very good source of information when conducting a background check. Some states pool all their information on a state juridical web site such as Connecticut and some states split it up between the separate counties like Florida. The advantageous part is they usually provide access to criminal and civil documents. This means that you will be able to get docket numbers and involved parties for further investigation. Court documents are also a good source of further information. If you have limited information on a subject you can usually get a date of birth or home address off of court documents. For further information on this topic read see my article on Public Access to Court Information. 

Once you have gathered some information from your court record search you can then follow different paths to get more detailed information on an incident. Most court records will indicate a arresting police department or agency. Most of the time the police reports are available to the general public. They usually charge a fee that is usually based on the amount of pages on the report. In my experience i have found that it any report involving a minor will not be released. I have also found that any incident that involves a death, alcohol or drugs usually is not available for a long time. In some fatal incidents it could take years for the report to be completed. As long as you are respectiful to the agency they should help you out and get you the report. there are also ways to get criminal records online. For more information read Searching for Criminal Records Online.

There are plenty of background check sites and services on the web. I often recommend using one of these because for an inexperienced person it can be very difficult to follow the leads and know where to check. It is very easy to miss criminal records. One example I give my clients who ask about searches is a guy on vacation. A guy who lives in New York goes on vacation to say Miami Florida. While he is there he gets drunk, beats up a girl at a bar and is arrested. He is process and charged and now he has a record in Miami - Dade County Florida. 2 years later you come along to do a quick background check on this guy. You check all the NY WebCrim and WebCivil info and he looks pretty clean. You would never know about the Florida record.

This is where background check sites and databases come in. Since they pool information based on the subject and not the location they will get results nationwide. Just something to be aware of. We have subscriptions to at least 10 different databases and I have tried countless ones out there. I usually only recommend one or two of them to an inexperience searcher. Arm yourself with as much information as possible! See Investigative Site Reviews to get the low down on what we have been using.